Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) in relation to the assessment of the exposure of the Spanish population to morphine resulting from the consumption of poppy seeds

Poppy seeds (Papaver somniferum) are traditionally used in some countries in the manufacture of bread and cakes. In Spain, the dietary intake of these seeds is low and the variety of poppy mainly grown in the country is used to obtain morphine. Although poppy seeds do not contain opium alkaloids or these occur at very low levels, they may be contaminated with alkaloids, as a result of damage caused by certain insects or of the external contamination of the seeds during harvest if dust particles from the straw become attached to the seeds. The Scientific Committee has conducted an assessment of the exposure of the Spanish population to morphine as a result of the intake of the varieties of poppy seeds grown in Spain and considers that, in accordance with currently available data, the intake of morphine as a result of the consumption of bread and cakes by the Spanish population is below the acute reference dose (ARfD) established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The greatest uncertainty in this estimation comes from the lack of accurate information regarding the consumption of poppy seeds by the Spanish population. Both the morphine content in the poppy seeds, and the intake of these seeds could change in the future as a consequence of the improvement of good practices in the production and processing of the seeds or of an increased industrial or culinary use of the same in Spain.